Butcher Knife Set 101 – Everything You Need to Know

When it comes to picking out the right butcher knife set, there's a lot that you'll need to keep in mind. As compared to other knife sets, a butcher knife set is going to be optimized for- you guessed it- butchering meat.

This means that a butcher knife set will include all the various types of kitchen knives you'll be needing to make expert work of any and all cuts of meat, whether full cuts or simple slabs. Because of this, a butcher knife set price in Australia may be a little more than the average set of traditional kitchen knives, but they'll be well worth it when it comes to slicing up meat!

What Is a Butcher Knife Set?

The great thing about a proper butcher knife set is that it can be used to carve and prepare an entire animal as soon as it's killed. Whereas other knives and knife sets will typically only be appropriate for carving smaller cuts of meat, a good butcher knife set will allow you to skin and carve meat right off of the bone of a fresh kill.

Because of those reasons above, butcher knife sets tend to be a little bit more heavy-duty than the average knife set, and will also include blades that are optimized for skinning, cutting, and boning.

Do I Need a Butcher Knife Set?

If you're a hunter who is looking to carve up your kill and store it in the freezer, having the right butcher knife set is an absolute must. However, before you go about purchasing and using a butcher knife set, it's important to get to know what butcher knife sets are all about.

This handy guide will show you everything you need to know about the average butcher knife set! Whether you're looking to make work of your meat in the kitchen or the garage, the right butcher knife set is going to be the tool for you!

Butcher Knife Set 101 – Everything You Need to Know

What Knives Will Typically Come in a Butcher Knife Set?

Now that we've gone over the reasons that you might need a butcher knife set, let's take a look at exactly what a butcher knife set is. A butcher knife set is a knife set designed for butchering, and it will include blades such as a:

What Are Each of These Knives for?

Of course, seeing this simple list might likely do more harm than good, as the names of the specific blades don't always give you the best idea of what they're supposed to be used for. For that reason, let's break it down blade by blade and take a look at what each knife is for!

Butcher Knife

A butcher knife is a knife that features a long blade with a large belly, and it will generally have a clip at its point.

F DICK Red Spirit HEKTOR Butcher Knife Kullenschliff 25cm

F DICK Red Spirit HEKTOR Butcher Knife Kullenschliff 25cm

Given the name, this is going to likely be the most general-use blade in your butcher knife set, as it's truly a knife for all-purpose butchering. When it comes time to turn a carcass into edible cuts of meat, a butcher knife is going to be the first knife you grab.

Meat Cleaver

As one can imagine, the purpose of a meat cleaver is for the heaviest chops you'll need to make when making work out of a large cut of meat.

These will generally be incredibly heavy-duty, with tough steel and a convex grind that will reduce the chances of chipping on the blade.

Furi Pro Heavy-Weight Cleaver 16.5cm

Furi Pro Heavy-Weight Cleaver 16.5cm

Cleavers are going to be used for cutting the biggest chunks of meat, and can even cut through slices that contain some amount of bone.

Breaking Knife

A breaking knife is similar to the butcher knife and is used when the butcher needs to break larger pieces of meat down into smaller, more workable pieces.

Boning Knife

A boning knife is one of the more obvious ones to rationalize, and it's exactly what its name suggests; a knife whose primary use is de-boning a carcass. Boning knives can vary based on their flexibility, either being somewhat flexible or fairly stiff.

 ZWILLING J.A. Henckels Pro Boning Knife 14cm

ZWILLING J.A. Henckels Pro Boning Knife 14cm

How delicate the carcass you're looking to carve is what will determine how flexible you want the blade to be, with more delicate carcasses requiring a bit more flexibility than larger and sturdier ones.

Butcher Saw

A butcher saw is a heavy-duty blade with a lot of uses, and will generally be used when separating cuts of meat connected with thick joints.

The reason for a butcher saw is that it has a specific shape to the teeth on its blade that is optimized for cutting bone and cartilage.

Cimeter

A cimeter butcher knife is a specific type of butcher knife with a much more pronounced curve, which makes it more optimized for slicing. They are the tool of choice for butchers when trimming fat and cutting up steak.

Slicer

A slicer is one of the more obscure looking knives you'll likely find in a butcher knife set, with a very long blade that looks somewhat like a traditional bread knife but with a slightly more rounded tip.

Shun Kai Nagare Slicing Knife 22.9cm

Shun Kai Nagare Slicing Knife 22.9cm

It will traditionally be somewhat thinner than the average knife, exceptionally sharp, and will typically have a granton edge. Its use is for slicing thinner slices of cooked meat, which makes it very valuable for slicing up lunch meat.

Finding the Best Butcher Knife Set Price in Australia

Now that we know a little bit more about butcher knife sets, you should feel prepared to start shopping for one!

Remember that the price of a butcher knife set in Australia is largely dependent on both its versatility of use and its quality, and you'll typically be getting what you pay for when you spring for a higher quality butcher knife set.

If you're going to be carving up carcasses, a butcher knife set is going to be your best friend, whether in the kitchen or elsewhere, and you won't regret the purchase so click here now to check out our collection of butcher knives!

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